Thank you for enrolling in 4-H Online for the 2021-2022 4-H Program year!

Our Eaton County email list that we use for newsletters and other communication has now been updated. Only those members and volunteers who have submitted their enrollment for this year will receive communications from our office. If someone has indicated they are no longer receiving emails from 4-H staff, 4-H Online, or newsletters, please have them check their enrollment in 4-H Online and then contact Kristy at oosterh6@msu.edu or our office at 517-543-2310.

The Eaton County MSU Extension office is open on Mondays - Fridays from 8:30am - 5pm, closed from noon - 1pm. Please note that the office may be occasionally closed due to availability of staff. It is recommended to call ahead to set up an appointment by calling 517-543-2310. If you need to meet with Kristy, please email oosterh6@msu.edu or call the office to set up an appointment. As a reminder, there is a dropbox behind the office that can be used for forms or other paperwork when the office is closed.

The office will be closed on the following days due to holidays:

Youth, parents, and volunteers - share your voice!

The 4-H Junior Livestock Association, 4-H Small Animal Association, and Eaton County Agricultural Society fair board invite 4-H and FFA youth, volunteers, parents, and community members to complete the following survey regarding the livestock and small animal sales and Eaton County Fair experience for those that exhibit animal projects.

You may take this survey by January 15 by visiting: https://msu.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_agABzgMrDTYg7m6

Club administrative leaders are also receiving this survey to hand out during club meetings. Please only fill out the survey once per person (either via paper form or online).

Note: There is also a survey being sent to buyers from the livestock and small animal sales. This survey is being sent via email and mail to buyers from the 2019, 2020, and 2021 sales. If you were a buyer, please also fill that survey out!

Are you serving in an officer role in your 4-H group? Do you want to be an officer in the future? Need a refresher on parliamentary procedure?

You won't want to miss the upcoming Officer Training on January 13 at the Eaton County MSU Extension office (in the PMR, basement conference room)! 4-H Volunteers and youth will learn from Connie Lange, 4-H Extension Educator in Leadership, Cultural, and Civic Engagement, on the basics for each officer role and parliamentary procedure and receive a folder of resources. The free training will be from 6pm - 8pm. A pizza dinner will be served starting at 5:30pm, training will begin promptly at 6pm. Masks are required (except when eating).

Please RSVP by January 12 here: https://forms.gle/WahF4QQqLm53P8uX9

The Eaton County 4-H Shooting Sports Club will be restarting soon for the 2022 season! There will be an informational meeting for parents and those interested in joining the shooting sports club in December 2021 (exact details TBD within the next week). Please join the Eaton County 4-H Shooting Sports Facebook group to stay in touch for more information coming soon!

All meetings will be in-person at the PMR (basement conference room at the Extension office building) and will offer a Zoom option to connect virtually to the meetings, unless otherwise indicated (subject to change with COVID-19 guidelines). If you would like a virtual connection option for these meetings, please use the Zoom registration link for each meeting to register. Once you are registered, you will receive an email with the connection information. If nobody is registered for the Zoom option by 5pm the day of the meeting, Zoom connection will not be set up.

Weather reminder: With the winter season, just a reminder that when Charlotte Public Schools are closed for weather-related reasons, countywide 4-H in-person meetings are also canceled. If this occurs, the board for the group meeting that day will determine whether to cancel the meeting altogether or move the meeting to Zoom and notification will be sent via 4-H Online to those enrolled in the project areas for the group and posted on the county Facebook page.

Did you miss out on the Eaton County 4-H Council t-shirts sold during fair week or during pre-orders? You still can get a shirt!

Buy your t-shirts at the MSU Extension office during office hours (Tuesday-Thursday, 8:30am - 5pm; highly recommended to call 517-543-2310 prior to visiting). T-shirts are $12 each (2XL and 3XL sizes add $2/shirt). Sizes are available until gone, if your size is gone, sign-up on the list for a future order!

4-H Citizenship Washington Focus is an exciting opportunity for 4-H youth ages 15-19 to spend a week in Washington, D.C. learning about the nation’s government.

Participants will enjoy hands-on leadership workshops, meet with U.S. senators and representatives and tour historical sites. Featuring national experts and leaders, along with opportunities for career exploration, using your voice and building connections with teens from across the country, this is a can’t miss experience for Michigan 4-H’ers!

The Michigan delegation will depart by bus on Saturday, June 25 and return on Friday, July 1. The first stop along the route is the 9/11 Memorial in Pennsylvania followed by an overnight stay in Gettysburg. On Sunday, the group will visit the Gettysburg National Military Park Museum, travel the battlefields with a licensed tour guide and see the Gettysburg Cyclorama Map of the Civil War before heading on to Washington, D.C.

Once in D.C., the group will stay at the Hyatt Regency in Bethesda, Maryland. The cost for this trip is $2,000 per youth, which includes transportation, lodging, conference costs and most meals. Spaces for this exciting event are limited, to learn more contact your local 4-H program coordinator or email Connie Lange at langec@msu.edu. Please note Eaton County has a variety of event scholarships to lower the cost of this trip!

4-H Exploration Days is a team effort and we need you! We’re seeking inspiring and fun educational sessions for the 2022 4-H Exploration Days event!

An exciting pre-college program for youth ages 12-19, 4-H Exploration Days bring together approximately 1,500 youth from across the state of Michigan. The 2022 event is slated for June 22-June 24, on the campus of MSU and now is your chance to get involved! We are looking for sessions and instructors that allow youth to try new things, gain confidence and independence through hands-on learning, and make friends that can last a lifetime.

Sessions will be offered in 2.5, 3 and 6 hour time blocks on Thursday or Friday. Information on instructor roles and session times can be found on the 4-H Exploration Days website under at www.canr.msu.edu/4_h_exploration_days/Volunteer-Information/.

Think outside the box for session ideas! Some great session topic areas in the past included: mental health/self care; a day in the life of a specific career path; recreational sports; art, culture, crafts, music, dance; animals and animal science; coding, website development and technology; and food, nutrition, basic cooking.

The session proposal process is now open until December 15. Notification will be sent by early 2022 regarding acceptance. Please submit your session ideas online at msu.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_0iFTMshS41iYerQ.

If you need assistance with the survey, have questions, or would like to brainstorm session ideas or ways to make a topic hands-on, please reach out to Laurie Rivetto at rivettoL@msu.edu and/or send an e-mail to: 4h.expodays@msu.edu.

Would you like to be a voice to help influence Michigan 4-H’s Exploration Days? Expo Days is a premier 4-H overnight experience held at Michigan State University that attracts about 2,000 youth to campus. Whether you have been actively involved in 4-H since age 5 or are new to the program and have never attended Exploration Days, we would love to have you apply to help craft Exploration Days 2022. The Scheme Team is made up of youth ages 13-19 from across Michigan who will help plan, promote, and support MSU Extension 4-H Exploration Days in 2022. Youth members will attend virtual meetings approximately once per month through July and may choose to be on additional subcommittees. Members will be selected from those who complete and application, are currently enrolled as Michigan 4-H members and respond to committee communications. The application can be completed here: https://forms.gle/rqVzQR9eZkCbCkqc7 and must be submitted by midnight on December 1, 2021. Questions? Contact Liana Pepin at deisenro@msu.edu.

What should you do when your child says they hate that present? Should you make your child hug their long lost relative? Is it okay to let your kids stay up super late for a holiday party? Join us to talk about how to survive the holiday season, share your questions and receive live answers! Pre-register at https://bit.ly/3tbaUpz and join via Zoom or join live on Facebook@MiStrongerFamily

For more information contact Carrie Shrier, shrier@msu.edu

Click here to submit your parenting questions in advance or submit questions via Zoom or Facebook Live chat. 

How fast would Santa’s sleigh have to travel to visit every house? What’s the atomic weight of a sugar plum? What STEM-related degree is required to be an Elf? All of these questions and more are going to be yours to answer over the holiday break with the Mason County 4-H “Tis the Season to be Scientific” Virtual GooseChase challenge. Sign up and take part in a series of holiday and STEM-related missions and earn points towards some sweet prizes!

To sign up, participants will have to create a GooseChase account with their parents’ help. Login information will be sent out two days prior to the start of the event.

Registration is now open!

Answer yes or no to these questions to evaluate the effectiveness of your club meeting.

Adapted from "Additional tips for a successful 4-H club" by Roxanne Turner. For more information and additional resources, visit: https://www.canr.msu.edu/news/tips_for_a_successful_4-h_club_part_2